How's that Irish smoking ban going?

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Cleaner, healthier, fitter, happier? Or just a nightmare? Tell us what's happening.

― Herbie 4000 (39 Steps + 40 Winks), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm picturing that Father Ted Lent episode

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 10:48 (twenty-one years ago)

i've been told that the clubs in ireland now just STINK. all the horrible sweaty smells unable to be covered up with pleasing tobacco.

― Robbie Lumsden (Wallace Stevens HQ), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 10:49 (twenty-one years ago)

and those guinness farts too

― Michael B, Wednesday, 5 May 2004 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)

The pubs smell of sweat yeah. Some of rat poison.

On the other hand my local pub has a large yard in the very centre of it, where my friends and I like to stand with a pint, most of the year round. Anyway it used to be like the focal point of the pub, when we first started going 5 years ago or so, you'd come down and meet everybody in the yard.

Then they brought in a comedy night and the crowd changed slightly and most people were indoors.

However since the smoking ban there's a canapee in the yard, and it's always full of people, it's actually given the place a way better atmosphere. I like drinking outside anyway, if it's at all possible. The inside of my local is horrible.

I've given up smoking for about 6 weeks now so the only thing which annoys me about the ban is the feeling that everyone outside smoking is having a ball and meeting new people and stuff.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 10:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Relax, nothing ever happens out there. Oh hold on -- 'what's that? Wow when did THEY get here? Ok I'm just talking to Ronan, I'll be right out!' -- back in five, Ronan, something WONDERFUL is happening outside!

― LC, Wednesday, 5 May 2004 10:58 (twenty-one years ago)

THEY ARE HAVING MORE FUN THAN ME-the casual drug takers paranoia

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Ronan, why don't you just start smoking again?

Remember: a social life is more important than a healthy life.

Has anyone been fined yet?

― Herbie 4000 (39 Steps + 40 Winks), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:09 (twenty-one years ago)

A member of the main opposition party was sacked from his position on the front bench for smoking in the parliament bar. He was the first person to be penalised I think. I've not heard of anyone being fined etc.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:11 (twenty-one years ago)

the smoking ban is annoying me.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:12 (twenty-one years ago)

how so?

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:15 (twenty-one years ago)

(another thing which did annoy me was how cold a club I was in recently was, because people kept going in and out the door.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:16 (twenty-one years ago)

people (sitting at the table) constantly having to go out for cigarettes. they try to go for a while without one then get all fidgety and restless. and when you're with a couple of smokers and no non-smokers and they're outside smoking every half an hour. i'd rather my lungs be polluted than put up with the constant interruption to conversation. bah.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I am just lucky in that the pub I go to to "catch up" or whatever has that big yard I mentioned, it doesn't feel odd standing out there talking cos we'd often do that anyway.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:24 (twenty-one years ago)

(mind you the smell of vomit in one of the bars there on Saturday was wretched)

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:24 (twenty-one years ago)

the smoking ban is silly!

although i haven't noticed the odour thing much. maybe i have a weak sense of smell...

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I was at a GIG last night. People were smoking MARIJUANA, which is not covered by the ban.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

i think there was already a ban on marijuana, ian ;-)

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:30 (twenty-one years ago)

How on earth did people get away with smoking spliffs?????

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:36 (twenty-one years ago)

at a packed gig in a big venue, it would be easier to get away with that kind of thing. where was the gig, vicar?

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:37 (twenty-one years ago)

but surely then you could smoke anything?

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

a child for example?

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:38 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah - i meant: it's easier to get away with smoking (anything) in a big, packed venue - but it would be v.noticeable in a pub.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, but I will take the cigarette out of your mouth if you're smoking next to me at a gig, whereas I wouldn't with a spliff. I assume other people feel the same.

― The Daily Mail (afarrell), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:41 (twenty-one years ago)

not really, andrew! i'd leave it to the staff to sort em out :-)

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:42 (twenty-one years ago)

(regardless of whether it's a spliff or a cigarette, that is)

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:45 (twenty-one years ago)

this thread should have been titled "i wonder what it's like to have fags"

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:49 (twenty-one years ago)

You're not serious are you Andrew?

Surely nobody would be so hypocritical as to think it was ok to smoke cannabis indoors, and effectively stick serrated knives in ALL OUR BACKS in the process?

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 11:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not very serious, though I might do if I felt I had King Mob behind me (and the smoker was getting on my wick anyway). The thing to remember of course is that although Irish be complainin', it's a widely popular ban, and I don't reckon I'd have much trouble putting social pressure on. Particularly since the terms of the ban means he's endangering the venue.

As regards spliff, you can't very well send someone outside to smoke them under the watchful eyes of the bouncer.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

There's tobacco in every spliff, it's endangering the venue just as much!

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

But no-one's going to report them, it's based on mob mentality (though of course it only takes one). I could be misreading the national gig-going mood, I haven't been to one since the ban.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 12:11 (twenty-one years ago)

why would noone report them?

does our great nations caring nosy spirit not extend to people smoking cannabis???

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 13:09 (twenty-one years ago)

We haven't been able to smoke indoors for four years here in San Francisco, but at clubs smoking weed (almost always un-miscegenated with tobacco)is tolerated far more than a cigarette would be. It should be noted that pot smokers aren't going to smoke as many joints as cigarette smokers will smoke cigs so it's a little less annoying.

― Michael White (Hereward), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 13:27 (twenty-one years ago)

The thing I hate is that the smoking ban has given non-smokers a feeling of power over their smokey-joe friends, so they feel better about sending them outside to smoke, which means more people hanging around outside my apartment at night smoking and talking loudly and generally annoying me. It's like some fifties teen movie with me as the angry parent.

Also, because I walk through Temple Bar to get home from work, I have to walk through a crowd of smokers to get to my bus stop. Which is kind of annoying too.

Everyone annoys me. I am a crank.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

The thing I hate is that the smoking ban has given non-smokers a feeling of power over their smokey-joe friends

Wrong. most of my friends smoke and i'm already sick of having to follow em outside every five fucking minutes if you want to have a coherent conversation.

― fcussen (Burger), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 16:48 (twenty-one years ago)

i've been told that the clubs in ireland now just STINK. all the horrible sweaty smells unable to be covered up with pleasing tobacco.

Sounds like they could use *two* deodorants!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Heh, Kilan's complaints on this thread were echoed by some guy interviewed on NPR on the first day the ban went into effect. He complained about having to go outside and then coming back in and finding that his mates had all moved on to another topic of conversation.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 21:10 (twenty-one years ago)

we didn't have this problem in NYC because 1. the jukebox's too loud and 2. nobody has anything to say worth hearing.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 21:11 (twenty-one years ago)

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